Heart of the Salamander
by PeKan
Summary: A melancholic beginning. It'll get better, you'll see. He'll get stronger. His flames will grow hotter. Surpass them, Natsu. Surpass them all. NatsuxMira.


Disclaimer: Don't own FT.

**_Heart of the Salamandar:_**

_Front._

* * *

They left.

And she never came back.

None of them did.

* * *

He could see Elfman's larger figure gradually passing through the town. He could also make out Mira's smaller form lagging behind.

But he couldn't see her.

Figuring she had gone home—or to the store or was walking slower or went to the river or stopped suddenly or-or..—his thoughts froze when he caught a glimpse of the larger teen's face.

For the first time, he was cold. Only one thing ran through his mind:

They were always together.

* * *

It was no help when the suppressed blue sky vanished further into the realms above. The gray, dull color that remained formed but a shadow of the city.

And more importantly, that shadow was contagious.

* * *

They were so close now. He willed himself to stand.. to meet with them.

They were paler. They continued and, yet, it seemed as if they didn't move. They showed nothing.

It was all because they weren't there.

* * *

He had been waiting for them to return since morning, resting along the bark of the large tree in the midst of his world. In the midst of his home.

Slowly harboring his premonition in a dark recess, he walked up to them.

Elfman had no response, simply walking past. Not one shard of recognition, not one fragment of care. The subjugated figure kept trudging on the road. Towards the guild, but not the future. He was doing his best, but he couldn't go forward. Thus, his body went instead to allow his mind to linger.

Mira paused before him. Her tilted head effectively caused her hair to cover her eyes. Coupled with her periodic gasps of breath, his fear was confirmed.

She never cried.

It was just then that the sky decided to interrupt their silent moment with her own selfish tendencies. The moment that her first drop hit the ground would indicate to her victims that time was passing. And, by logic, the past was fading.

And so it poured.

His own face and his own eyes had begun to mirror hers. Slowly, liquid ran down his face. He realized that he no longer felt the usual warmth within his body. No longer did his burning body plague him. The heat was gone. It was gone, _just like her._

For the first time in years, he felt alone.

The girl beside him still refused to respond. Her eyes glared into the ground as even her body refused to continue. Slowly, the sky forced her to go. Forced her to move.

He hadn't expect it, and he was sure that she didn't either.

Her body fell into his arms, her arms enveloped his neck, and her lips scaled up to his.

His initial reaction was to back away, but he froze. The single glimpse of her eyes had shredded his being apart.

Her azure eyes, usually so lively, bore so much emotion that it completely contradicted the state of her body. So much despair and so much self-loathe that he felt a need to comfort her.

So he responded.

He pulled her closer and attempted to warm them both.

He returned the kiss.

It was when she finally pulled her lips away from him that she cast a glance into his eyes. His eyes had their own cascaded pathways that held no relation to the rain and his eyes, too, expressed despair.

It was then that she realized it wasn't only her that was suffering.

It was everyone.

Her head fell against his shoulder and she finally allowed more of her heart to surface. She first began to tremble lightly and then began to release soft sobs.

Instinctively, his head dropped against her own.

He didn't know how much time passed. It felt like only a second passed after she reached out to him. But the sky had already let up her tempest. The realm was still dull, but the sounds of droplets hitting stone ended ages ago. His mind had been blank until her grip on his neck had slightly waned.

She raised her head and her eyes connected with his.

They each felt lighter, easier, and warmer.

She leaned her forehead against his as she let out a soft murmur:

_"Natsu."_

A small flame lit within him; he felt his heart deciding to resume its duties. He felt himself desiring to become even _warmer_.

It wasn't just her, he wanted consoling too.

The weight against his forehead lifted and he found himself staring into her eyes. They were so much brighter, so much more _right_.

Her arms tightened their hold on his neck and, with renewed vigor, Mira reformed her advance.

This time, he refused to hesitate.

His own arms exterminated all space between them, and Natsu released his own initiative.

Now, they weren't cold. Now, they weren't empty.

Now, _they weren't lonely_.

* * *

This idea seriously didn't let me sleep. It's ridiculous. First, it kept me up at night. Then, when I woke up, it didn't let me get out of bed. It took about two hours to write; so, not bad.

I had different thoughts about how I wanted it to be released, but it demanded to be set free like this.

The bright side is that this can stand as a one-shot and I won't feel bad for not updating. _This_ is, like, the first fic I've written that doesn't make me want to kick myself from the sheer [something]. I'm also immensely happy to the whole ratio of dialogue word (HA!) to description words. It's about 1:everything else. So, yeah. Go me.

Also, THIS pairing FTW. Screw Lisanna, Mira owns and has better hair!

Reviews appreciated! If you see a mistake, please point it out to me!

If you could, I'd also appreciate if you could tell me if I succeeded in conveying any emotion.

Be sure to say whether or not you'd want this to be continued.

_-PeKan_


End file.
